Finding the Best Price

Should I Buy It New or Used?

Buying used is usually the fastest way to cut your wait, because the same item can cost 30–50% less than the store price. But “used is always better” isn’t true either. The real question is: what am I actually paying extra for when I buy it new?

Sometimes the answer is “nothing” — a used LEGO set or a used video game works exactly like a new one. Sometimes new is worth it: you get a warranty (a promise that the company will fix or replace it if it breaks), you can return it to the store if something is wrong, and you know for certain nothing is missing or broken. Helmets, car seats, and anything protecting your body should be bought new, because you can’t see whether a used one has already taken a hit.

Go through it with a parent before you decide. They’ve made this trade a hundred times and can usually tell you in ten seconds whether the used version is a bargain or a headache.

When Do Things Go on Sale?

Stores mark things down on a schedule, and once you know the pattern you can plan around it instead of getting lucky. The basic rule: a store discounts something when it needs the shelf space for whatever is coming next.

• Outdoor gear — bikes, scooters, fishing poles, camping equipment — drops in late summer and early fall, when stores clear space for holiday merchandise.
• Winter gear — sleds, snowboards, coats — is cheapest in late winter, right after everyone has already bought theirs.
• Video games fall fastest in the first year after release, and again during big seasonal sales.
• Electronics drop when the next model is announced, even though the older one still does everything it did the day before.
• Clothes and shoes go on clearance at the end of each season.

The pattern behind all of these is the same: waiting until the end of a season lets you buy that year’s version at a discount, because the store would rather have the space than the item. If your goal is twelve weeks away anyway, check whether your item’s sale season lands inside those twelve weeks. Sometimes waiting two extra weeks saves you four weeks of saving.

What Holds Its Value (and What Doesn’t)?

This table cuts both ways. If you’re buying, the things near the top hold their price, so a used one still costs a fair bit — but it’s also a sign you’re buying something people genuinely want. If you’re selling something you’ve outgrown to fund your goal, the top of this list is where your money is.

*Roughly what share of the current retail price an item brings when it’s clean, working, complete, and still something people want. These are estimates from typical resale listings, not guaranteed prices — condition, brand, season, and where you live all move the number.

Things Worth Buying Used

These are the safest used buys, because they hold up well and there are always plenty for sale. Fair warning: because lots of people want them, a used one still costs close to full price. That’s the trade — less of a discount, but much less risk of getting stuck with junk.

• Nintendo Switch games — especially Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, and Super Smash Bros.
• Genuine Nintendo controllers and Joy-Cons
• LEGO Star Wars, Technic, Minecraft, and retired sets
• Pokémon cards, sealed products, and recognizable graded cards
• Lululemon leggings, shorts, Scuba hoodies, and belt bags
• Nike Dunks, Air Jordans, UGGs, and popular soccer cleats
• Apple devices that still get software updates
• Quality baseball bats, lacrosse sticks, and golf clubs
• Manga sold as complete or sequential bundles
• Woom and other premium kids’ bicycles

Things You Can Get Cheap

These sit unsold for weeks, which is good news if you’re the buyer. When something has been listed a long time, the seller usually just wants it gone — so it’s fair to politely ask whether they’d take less. Have a parent do the asking, and never be rude about it. “Would you take $20?” is a normal question, not an insult.

• Generic stuffed animals
• Incomplete board games and puzzles
• Common plastic toys listed one at a time
• Fast-fashion clothing without a brand people know
• Old sports gear that no longer meets current safety standards
• Large furniture, unless it’s priced very cheaply
• Outdated tablets, Chromebooks, and electronics that no longer get updates
• Heavily worn shoes
• Opened craft kits with pieces missing

Where Should I Look?

Different places are good for different things, mostly because of how the item travels. Big and heavy? You want someone local. Small and shippable? A bigger online marketplace gives you more choices and better prices. Every one of these needs a parent — all of them require an adult account, and none of them should be used by a kid alone.

Do Your Research

Never guess at a price. Before you buy anything, find out what the thing actually costs — new, used, and on sale. If you landed on this page because you wanted your goal to arrive sooner, this ten-minute step is the one that does it.

Type what you’re saving for into the box, then use the buttons. Each one opens a search in a new tab with the question already written for you.

Whatever the search tells you, bring the answer to a parent before you spend anything. A price that looks amazing is sometimes amazing, and is sometimes a warning sign.

Staying Safe When You Buy

Buying from a store is simple: you hand over money, you get the thing, and if it’s broken you take it back. Buying from a person is different, and that’s where kids lose money. The rule is short: a parent handles every purchase that isn’t from a real store. They make the account, they message the seller, they go to the meetup, and they pay.

Why so strict? Because the same tricks that show up in games show up here. A deal that’s way below every other price, a seller who wants a gift card or a payment app instead of the marketplace’s own checkout, someone who wants to move the conversation somewhere private, or anyone rushing you to decide right now — those are the same warning signs covered in how to spot a scam.

One more thing worth knowing: getting a lower price is only half the job. The other half is what you do with the money you didn’t spend. If you saved $30 buying used, that $30 is still yours — and it can go straight toward the next goal, or somewhere it can grow on its own.

Now run your new, lower price through the Can I Afford It? calculator and watch the date move. Then head back to How to Save for Something You Want or Money Questions for Kids.